A glossary from SLOW-PCfighter

What is Com/ActiveX EntriesCOM (Component Object Model) is Microsoft's component software architecture developed primarily for Windows. It is the foundation upon which OLE and ActiveX are based, and provides a means to re-use code without requiring re-compilation. In COM, a component is a platform-specific binary file that compliant applications and other components can utilize. Programs incorporating a component's services never have access to its internal data structure, but instead include pointers to its standardized interface. Thus, it is possible for components to interact with each other regardless of how they work or what language they are written in. COM+ is an enhanced version of COM that provides better security and improved performance. DCOM (Distributed Component Object Model) is an extension of COM that allows applications and components to communicate with each other over a network.

SLOW-Pcfighter will search areas of the registry where com/activeX entries are stored and confirm that the physical path maps back correctly to the entries in the registry, if not, then the defective path will be removed from the registry.

Uninstall EntriesWhenever you install software on your machine it will leave necessary entries on your machine especially in your Registry. Most software comes with an Installer and an Uninstaller, but not all software is uninstalled properly so that it cleans up after itself.It's not necessarily the software's fault as there can be many reasons for the program not being able to clean up after itself. You might have an anti-virus that prevents a complete uninstall or another program that has blocked the uninstall process. There could be specific reasons for leaving traces in the Registry as a service for the user if he plans reinstalling the product and therefore leaves information behind.But there is also sloppy software that just hasn't been written well and leaves Entries behind.This is where SLOW-PCfighter helps you out by finding unnecessary leftover Entries and erasing them.SLOW-Pcfighter will search uninstall registry areas to confirm that a valid file path exists to the files listed. If the uninstall path to the file does not exist, the item's placeholder in the registry will be removed

Font EntriesIf SLOW-PCfighter finds any invalid Entries there it's usually because there has been an application error in an Office program, another word processing program, graphics and games, Font files are left corrupt but it's easy to cure these inconsistencies and keep them from taking up space in your Registry. SLOW-PCfighter detects and confirms that fonts registered in windows physically map back correctly to the font file. If a font entry exists in windows, but the physical file does not exist, the registry will be fixed to remove that items mapping.

Shared DLLsMany programs install the same DLL´s.The fact that it has been installed gets recorded to the SharedDLLs registry key. This allows Windows to keep track of how many times that dll has been installed.Every time a program uses a shared DLL it will be registered to the Shared DLL Registry Key, but this information is most often left when the program is uninstalled.SLOW-PCfighter will clean up this information and either reset or delete left over or faulty Entries.SLOW-Pcfighter scans the shared DLL locations of the registry to make certain that the associated DLL physically exists at the specified location. If the DLL does not exit, SLOW-Pcfighter will automatically remove the faulty or missing reference from the registry.

Application PathsYou can call this a Directory of which programs are where.If these paths are not correctly stated programs will fail or "get lost".SLOW-PCfighter will search and fix these errors and make sure they are written correctly in the Application Paths.Note: by fix we mean delete the missing path. Registry programs remove items that do not map back pysically to paths, etc. They do not repair in the sense of making a bad path somehow work. If the path does not exist, the item is removed. This has the effect of preventiong potential errors that can slow down and even cause programs to crash.

Windows Startup ItemsSome programs will put themselves into the Windows Startup either because they are necessary for the computer to use during startup or because they can annoy you the most this way.When uninstalled, moved or changed, they don't always get unregistered registered correctly and reassigned; this therefore slows your PC down during startup, displays errors or just annoys you on your computer. SLOW-PCfighter checks items that are set to always run on startup from various locations in the registry and confirms that these item files physically exist. If they do not, the startup item can be removed from the registry from this scan. Please notice that you can control these Windows Startup Items in SLOW-PCfighter under UTILITIES and STARTUP MANAGER. Here you can activate or deactivate each Startup Programs as you please, but be sure that you do not deactivate important Startup Programs such as Anti-Virus or programs windows needs to work correctly

File AssociationsAs the word says, the Key are associated with a file. Its key has errors or faulty Entries; it will slow down your computer or make it impossible to open documents by double-clicking them.File associations allow you to double-click on a file of a know extension such as a PDF file, word document, graphic file, etc. and have the program that is associated with that file type automatically load the file. If the path that points back to the application that loads a specific file type extension is missing, then the file association will not work, and may cause your system to hang or become slow or unresponsive. SLOW-PCfighter detects errors in file association areas of the registry and will remove the bad associations from the registry.

Invalid Class KeysA Class Key also called CLSID and works as a Program ID for each program installed.Each program Class Key has at least a Default Value and one "Subkey" - CLSID / CLASS IDThe Class ID is always Unique.If these are mixed up or have errors, this can cause serious errors and slow down on your computer.SLOW-PCfighter will make sure every ID is correctly associated with the right file.

Sound and App EventsEvery computer has sound files. These are sound files that are directly associated with windows sounds and OS functionality. Such as beeps and clicks for errors, message boxes, etc. These files often get moved, changed and corrected, but SLOW-PCfighter will make sure your computer has registered them correctly and cleanup any problems.

CLSID/TypeLib/Interface EntriesThese types of Registry entries control how Windows combines different components to perform complex tasks. Problems here can cause errors, task failures, or even system crashes.

File / Path ReferencesThere will most often be results in this category.Registry Items that are assorted with non-existing files or Folders will show up here.Take your Temporary Files that are often created during startup, they are no longer necessary but have left a signature here.Some programs will create Temporary Entries in this area while they are running and that is why you can suddenly find new Entries here even though you have just cleaned your computer. This has little consequences and you should not worry about it.SLOW-PCfighter maps items in several registry locations to confirm that files and paths in these locations exist. If they do not, this is considered a registry error and these items can be removed.

Program ShortcutsEver had the Error "Windows is searching for the program" ?If program is uninstalled or moved, the Shortcut activation cannot find the right program to start.SLOW-PCfighter removes references to shortcut items that do not map back to the location shortcut contained in the registry. If the location does not exist, it will delete it in the registry or delete/correct the Entries in the Registry.

Empty Registry KeysEmpty Registry Keys are created all the time on the computer when you move, uninstall or delete items.This is usually a Category where there are often found Error/Entries that are incorrect or Empty.While not necessarily an error, generally empty keys offer no advantage to remaining in the registry. This option removes detected empty registry keys that contain no value information. Some keys are sometimes place in programs as place-holders whether they are used or not. In some cases, some keys are considered "Self-healing", which means that even though the key is deleted and thought to offer no value, some programs automatically will recreate these keys. If you run into keys that are self-healing, you always have the option to add them to the Ignore list found under SETTINGS in SLOW-PCfighter